Over 500 families seek shelter on train tracks due to Assam floods

Over 500 families fleeing from the flood in Assam are living on the railway tracks, the only high ground that is not drowning in water.

People from Changjurai and Patia Pathar villages of the Jamunamukh district have created temporary shelters using tarpaulin sheets on the tracks. They told NDTV that not much help has reached them from the state government or district administration. The government has provided some of the families with rice, dal, and oil, but it is not enough for everyone affected by the flood.

A report by the Water Resources Department of Assam said rain cuts and a major slump down have been observed at a dyke downstream of the Bogibeel rail-road bridge across the Brahmaputra River.

The natural disaster has so far affected over eight lakh people across 2,585 villages in the state. 14 people died in the landslides triggered by the rain. The Army, paramilitary, and relief forces evacuated 21,884 people from flood-affected regions. Around 86,772 people are in 343 relief camps. There are 411 relief distributional centres operating in the region but they have not been able to comfort everyone.

Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya are also struggling with floods and landslides but Assam is the worst-hit state. According to a report by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), 20 dykes have been breached across Assam. Several roads have caved in and bridges including the strategic Bogibeel Bridge are either washed away or rendered useless.

People living on train tracks had to borrow money to buy the sheets after they spent three days out in the open. Most families lost their possessions and farms in the flood. People of all ages are living in inhumane conditions with almost no food.